In addition to being a skilled livestock farmer, I also have expertise in crop farming. My goal is to grow both of these ventures and increase my income from them. Thanks to the financial transfers, I don’t feel pressured to sell any of my livestock at the moment. Currently, I have five cows and three goats, and I plan to use the money from the transfers to cover my daily needs, such as buying food and paying school fees for my children. This means I can allow my herd to grow, as I won’t be forced to sell them prematurely. By growing the herd, I can sell the livestock when the time is right and earn a better profit. During the wet season, I plan to use my two bulls to cultivate crops on my farm. With the surplus harvested , I can sell the produce and earn extra income. Once I have enough food stored, I can use future transfers to invest in purchasing more livestock. I’m very happy and incredibly grateful for the financial support from the transfers, as it’s allowing me to build a more sustainable future for my family.

My son, who is in secondary school, was sent home due to a significant school fees balance. He had to stay home for three days while I tried to find a way to raise the money. Fortunately, I received my transfers and was able to pay $35 to clear the debt. He returned to school, and I’m incredibly happy to see him continuing his education. I also paid $39 in school fees for my four children in primary school. Knowing that all five of my children are back in school brings me a sense of peace, and it's all thanks to the help from the financial transfers. I run a small livestock-selling business, but during the dry season, business slows down, making it difficult to earn enough income. On top of that, disease outbreaks among the animals further reduce my profits, which limits my ability to fully provide for my family. Despite these challenges, I spent $28 on food for my family, ensuring that we had enough to eat and never went hungry. I am deeply grateful for the financial support, especially in helping me keep my children in school and ensuring their education continues.

As an aspiring agribusiness entrepreneur, I have a deep passion for expanding my current chicken rearing project into something bigger. My dream is to eventually venture into cattle farming as well. I know the journey ahead is not an easy one, given my limited resources. However, I am determined to achieve my goals. I plan to continue with my chicken rearing project, hoping the flock will multiply and increase in number. I will then sell some of the chickens and use the proceeds to buy goats. I am hopeful that the goat herd too will also grow in size and value as well. Once I have built up a sizable herd of goats, I intend to use the profits from selling some of them to purchase cows. The female cows will be kept for breeding and milk production for sell, while the male cows will be sold at a higher price when fully grown. This will allow me to reinvest the profits into acquiring more young cows for rearing and selling. Alongside my agribusiness plans, I will continue to use the GiveDirectly transfers to pay for my children's school fees. Once my agribusiness project has reached its peak and is generating substantial profits, I plan to use those earnings to further educate my children. I am hopeful that this dream of mine will come true, as it holds immense significance for both myself and my family. The prospect of building a successful agribusiness and securing my children's education fills me with a deep sense of determination and optimism.

As a father of 4 school going children, with one in secondary school where the fees are quite expensive, I spent $74 of my GiveDirectly transfers to pay for my children's school fees. This ensured that my children could stay in school without interruptions to their education. Additionally, we were running out of food in the house and therefore had to use the remaining $28 to buy food for my family, making sure they would not go hungry. I am grateful for the support GiveDirectly has provided, as it has allowed me to cover my children's school fees and provide for my family's basic needs.

This year, my aim is to achieve self-sufficiency through agribusiness. With my poultry business thriving, I plan to utilize its profits along with upcoming funds to cultivate a significant quantity of maize for sale. This initiative will contribute to stabilizing my family's financial situation, bringing me a sense of relief and peace of mind. I express heartfelt gratitude for the support I've received, which has enabled me to pursue this path towards sustainability.

To sustain my family of nine, I engage in poultry farming, goat rearing, and agriculture. Previously, life was challenging as I struggled to afford food due to the scarcity of casual jobs. However, I am grateful that significant changes have occurred since then. With my monthly transfers, I ensure my children can attend school, fulfilling my promise to support their education. Additionally, I can now afford to invest in poultry, rear goats, and provide for my family's needs. During the Christmas festivities, I allocated $34 to purchase clothes and food, bringing immense joy to myself and my children. Furthermore, I used another $34 to prepare my children for the new school term, ensuring a smooth transition, and the remaining amount went towards settling a school fees debt. These transfers have enabled me to support my family effectively, marking a substantial positive change in my life.

Looking ahead, my goal is to venture into agribusiness, with a focus on cattle rearing and livestock trading. Currently, I own three cows, and I aim to continue raising them. As they reproduce, I could sell them during financial emergencies to cater to the needs of my family. Additionally, I plan to explore livestock trading, involving activities such as buying and selling chickens to further enhance my livelihood and support the education of my five children.

I allocated $50 of the cash transfers to clear a school fee debt for my child in secondary school, ensuring their uninterrupted education for the term. The remaining $40 was utilized to pay the tuition fees of my four children. Additionally, a portion of the funds went towards purchasing relish to accompany our corn meal. As a primary source of income, I engage in livestock farming, particularly raising cattle. I sell the milk produced to meet the needs of my family. The cash transfers have significantly contributed to avoiding debts, especially at my children's schools. Their education has remained uninterrupted, and my livestock, including chickens, has thrived as I hardly need to sell them to cover my children's expenses.

I look forward to venturing into agribusiness with the support of cash transfers. I plan to focus on raising cows and goats, which can provide a sustainable source of income for our family. Furthermore, the cows can also assist with plowing services, which will be beneficial for our farming activities. Additionally, during the rainy season, I intend to grow vegetables such as kale and tomatoes to sell. Having a diverse agricultural enterprise can help me generate more income and improve our financial situation.

My wife and I have eight children who solely depend on me to provide for their daily needs. However, it becomes quite challenging at times as I lack a reliable or stable source of income to meet all of our household expenses. The cash transfers have been a great help in alleviating some of the financial burdens and allowing us to meet necessities such as food and school fees to some extent. Am happy that the school administrations have recognized the monthly cash transfers, and they have built trust in my ability to pay my children's school fees consistently. With the recent cash transfer, I prioritized paying $10 toward my son's secondary school fees. I then used $20 to purchase foodstuff for the household. It was a relief to have enough food as we had recently run out and had to rely on borrowing or obtaining food on credit. I also allocated $4 to purchase more maize seeds, as there was a piece of land that remained uncultivated from the previous months.

The main sources of income for the majority of households in our community have been livestock and subsistence farming. Notwithstanding the fact that weather conditions affect its productivity, which has never been predictable, I had intended to spend more in it with the monthly transfers that I get from GiveDirectly. So far I have managed to buy one goat and added it to the existing ones that I have. I am planning to buy more and more goats so that I can easily sell them on profit. My wife has no job currently and I am planning to open a very good kiosk where she can easily sell things to my villagers. When we both work, it will be easy for us to run and manage all our family's expenses. I am working hard to start both of us work so that we can better our family together.

I only ask God for one thing every day; good health and strength to work hard so that I can earn enough money to keep my children in school. The only thing I want right now is for all of my kids to graduate from college and achieve their dreams. In my opinion, they will look back and sincerely thank me for everything I have done for them ones they have achieved their life's objectives. I am a father of six children who buys and sells goats at profit and ensures the money I get helps to cover our expenses. I thank GiveDirectly so much because the transfer I received I was able to use $10 to pay for my four children who are in primary school their fees and also I was able to use $10 to settle my child's secondary school fees. They were so happy at least I was able to settle their tuition fees on time. The remaining amount of $14 I was able to buy them food because they cannot study on an empty stomach. They need energy that can only be gotten by eating a well balanced diet.

GiveDirectly has done well by providing us with funds. Because through the funds, people have learned to develop themselves in small different projects like rearing livestock. However, I appreciate it if Give directly would call us immediately after receiving the funds and advise us on how to spend the funds.

I am married with five children. My main source of income comes from livestock farming and working with my wife part-time as a charcoal burner. Drought has affected most of our livestock and crops, with nothing on our farms and some of our animals dying, which has resulted in the challenges have faced this season. The charcoal business lately has not been as lucrative as it was because of famine and drought. There are no trees in the forest and most of the people have opted to cook with firewood than charcoal, hence having financial problems. My recent transfer of $20 was used to buy food, and I paid the remaining $10 for school fees for my four children in primary school. I am more than delighted to be enrolled in this program, which has been very supportive during these tough times.

My phone beeped with a message alert at around 8 p.m while I was relaxing in my house. Upon checking its contents, I realized that Give Directly had sent the first transfer. I breathed a sigh of relief because the money would help me put food on the table for my family after going to bed hungry the previous night.

The greatest difference created by the cash transfer is the purchase of a hen to add to the four that I already owned. This is a significant achievement for me following the loss of six chicks after a hawk preyed on them. As a livestock farmer, I am excited about the huge significance the hen will bring to the flock after it breeds.

The allowances I receive as a village elder for assisting in the resolution of disputes among community members do not easily come by. This is why my younger brother, who works in Mombasa, occasionally contributes to my family's food provision. However, there are times when things get difficult on both sides and I am unable to provide regular meals for the household. In reality, this has happened three times since the beginning of the month, causing my family to sleep hungry. When I received the transfer, I was compelled to prioritize food and spent KES 1,750 on maize flour and sugar. At the same time, my four children had missed a day of school owing to unpaid tuition costs. I channeled KES 1,000 towards the school fees and they gladly resumed classes. I used the remaining amount to buy a hen to add to the four that I already had.